Award winning blogs. Sunshine and Books--The perfect combination.

This post is going to be unique for me. Though I've been engaged in my usual spring green activities: preparing gardens to plant, depleting local garden shop shelves, and collecting green news, this month I'm posting award news, and book-related events instead. Sometimes I forget that I'm writing a monthly blog because, well, I'm a writer. I know, that sounds nuts, but that's what I am. Nuts I mean. Yes, a nutty writer/reader.

BUT...There has been lots of sunshine lately inviting in the spring green. So I'll start with the Sunshine Award. Last month I was surprised and delighted to receive a sunshine award from the Word Press blog of Laurie J. Edwards, http://lje1.wordpress.com/ an awesome writer. I promised to pass it along. But what I didn't promise was to suggest to the twelve bloggers receiving the Sunshine Award from Bonnie Blogs Green that they must pass it on. It's spring. It's a busy time. No one needs to feel pressured to do more than the season demands. No bad karma will creep up on the following bloggers if they simply bask in the sunshine and sigh in contentment.

It was painful to choose only twelve blogs because I read so many and none as often as I wish. That time crunch issue again. So much good stuff in the world to keep up with. It makes me wonder why scads of people dwell on the negative. Wait. I need to get back on track here. Dwelling on negativity is too huge a topic for me to handle. Back to sunshine. Here are the twelve blogs that receive extra sunshine this spring. These blogs and their contributors entertain, educate, inspire, and sometimes accomplish all three at once. I hope to tell them they've recieved this award soon. Maybe you'll beat me to it!

Warm Sunshine Awards go to:

1. The Turtle Hospital http://www.turtlehospital.org/blog/
   
2. Inkygirl http://www.inkygirl.com/
   
3. The Florida Keys http://www.n-the-florida-keys.com/Florida-Keys-blog.html
4. Eco Maids http://ecomaidsofla.com/blog/
5. The Nature Conservancy http://blog.nature.org/
6. The Planet Esme Plan http://planetesme.blogspot.com/
7. One Potato Ten http://onepotatoten.blogspot.com/
8. Swati Avasthi http://swatiavasthi.blogspot.com/
9. Irene Latham http://irenelatham.blogspot.com/
10. Gratz Industries http://gratzindustries.blogspot.com/
11. Janet Fox http://kidswriterjfox.blogspot.com/
12. Jacqueline Houtman http://jjhoutman.livejournal.com/

Another way to spread sunshine is to participate is Operation Teen Book Drop sponsored by four other amazing blogs. And that's just what I'm doing tomorrow (April 15, 2010). I'm dropping off a book at my local pet supply store. A book that will simply be lying out in the open like a lost puppy waiting for someone to pick it up, take it home, and love it. These great sponsoring groups are http://www.readergirlz.com/; http://www.guyslitwire.com//; and http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/. I've already downloaded this snazzy bookplate to put on the cover.

The last event I'm participating in this week is National Library Week (April 11-17) . I'd hoped to support a blog compaign kicked off by my friend Jennifer R. Hubbard , the incredibly talented author of The Secret Year. She gets major kudos for her efforts to support our local libraries. For each comment on her blog http://writerjenn.livejournal.com/ she donated money to her library and encouraged other bloggers to take up her cause.

Because I only blog once a month and couldn't expect to gather enough comments to actually raise funds for my library, I'm donating five new novels for young readers (The Last Newspaper Boy in America, by Sue Corbett; When You Wish, by Kristen Harmel; Heck Superhero, byMartine Leavitt; When the Whistle Blows, by Fran Cannon Slayton, and Forget-Her-Nots, by Amy Brecount White) plus a supplemental cash gift of $25 to my local library. I enjoyed each of these books and want to pass along the reading pleasure. Even so, this is a supreme sacrifice for me because I consider three of these authors my friends (wish I knew all five) and hate to part with their children. But I know they will understand.

Yikes. I nearly forgot to add my own title, Island Sting, by me, Bonnie J. Doerr, to the stack of donations. That makes six new books! Told you I'm a nutty writer.


You'll probably miss the Teen Book Drop date or even National Library Week, but you can still participate. Whenever and wherever you want, leave a book of your own with a personal note in it for an unsuspecting reader of any age. In light of how many libraries across the country are being forced to cut staff, curtail purchases, limit hours of operation, or worse--shut their doors, I encourage you to donate to your own local library any time.


So that's it for this month. A departure from the usual Bonnie Blogs Green, but it's all related. Sunshine brings Green. Books teach us how to live green. And libraries need green, lots of it!

Be sure to check out the latest spots on the web where you can find me and Island Sting at http://bonniedoerrbooks.com/AboutMe.htm

Island Sting is available for special school and retail rates. Contact Cathleen Cartwright marketing@leapbks.com. Ask for it at your local bookstore or online http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.